The School Readiness Playbook

This Playbook is a compendium of the latest thinking and best practices on community-level collaborative efforts to increase school readiness for young children.

The contents are designed to equip community "players" with the knowledge they need to work together. These players may be in law enforcement or libraries; be in school or retired; be members of a faith community or health care professionals. The Playbook includes information about how each community member can contribute.

Specifically, it covers:

what school readiness is and why it matters;

how communities can work together to increase school readiness;

how school readiness is a "win" for each potential player;

actions diverse players and allies can take;

examples and advice from communities successfully working together;

a case study of Westbury, New York’s school readiness efforts;

ongoing issues and recommendations;

links to research, reports and over 150 web sites.

All of the content is intended for communities to borrow and adapt or use as-is. The hope is that this guide inspires learning and action among people everywhere who care about helping all young children get a great start in school and life.